FLINT, MI -- A former Pontiac police officer who operates a
Grand Blanc-based security firm was sentenced to probation for using fake Federal Bureau
of Investigation credentials to secure discounted government rates at hotels.

Flint U.S. District Magistrate Judge Michael J. Hluchaniuk sentenced John Hamilton Wood IV in a Monday, May 5, judgment to one year probation after he pleaded guilty to possession of imitation federal identification
following an investigation by the FBI.

He was also ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine.

The federal government offers an $83 lodging per diem for
employees that is honored by many hotels. The per diem rate is used by
government travelers to obtain hotel rooms at a standard discount, according to
the American Hotel and Lodging Association. The discounted rate allows federal
employees to save upward of $50 per night at some Flint-area hotels.

FBI officials say they began the investigation after they
received complaints about Wood. Wood is not associated in any way with the FBI,
according to court records.

Court records show that Wood turned over the fraudulent identification to federal agents in April 2013 at a security company on South Saginaw Road in
Grand Blanc.